Aging Services folded into Davis Health Department

FARMINGTON — What used to be the Davis County Department of Aging Services was merged into the county's health department Tuesday.

By a vote of 2-1, the County Commission voted to consolidate the two departments, a decision that stemmed from a couple of administrative vacancies in Aging Services.

The county expects to save $250,000 a year by making Aging Services a division of the health department. The salary the county isn't paying to retired director Rich Connely accounts for about one-third of the savings. The rest comes from other administrative staff whose jobs will simply be absorbed by the health department, said health director Lewis Garrett.

"We already do a number of services for the aging through the health department," Garrett said.

Those services include immunizations and health promotion, he said.

Commissioner Alan Hansen, who cast the dissenting vote, said he had hoped Aging Services could grow on its own and become more efficient.

"I wasn't 100 percent sold on merging it in right now," he said. "I hope I'm proven wrong in a year's time."

Despite Hansen's nay vote on the reorganization of the two departments, he said he will work with the health department to make sure Aging Services doesn't get lost in bureaucracy.

Sally Kershisnik, director of the health department's Family and Community Health Services Division, will temporarily lead the new Aging Services Division until a division director can be found, Garrett said.

Aging Services also provides Meals on Wheels, transportation and weatherization.

The county operates three senior centers: Autumn Glow in Kaysville; Golden Years in Bountiful; and Heritage in Clearfield.

They serve the activity needs for some of the county's 20,039 residents over age 65.

For example, Autumn Glow averaged 17,741 units of service each month in 2005. Each unit of service is one person using one service. So, sometimes a person may use transportation and take a computer class at Autumn Glow. That would be two units.

Heritage averaged 11,355 units of service, and Golden Years averaged 21,629 units.

"I'm not really sure how it's going to affect us," said Michelle Murray, director of Heritage, about the merger.

Murray said she plans to wait out the transition to see what happens.

"I think this is going to be a good thing," said Linda Freer, Autumn Glow's director. "I think we'll be a cohesive unit."

Aging Services already is headquartered down the hall from the county's health department in Farmington, said Bob Ballew, the department's spokesman.

The department will also take on a new name, which hasn't yet been decided.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com